...

...

..

Hey friends, sorry for the wait. The end of the semester was insane! Some good news, I've had a story published in a great online journal:) Yaaaay! PM me if you'd like the link.

Also, the talented dazynl8 has made some fanart for my fics!

Here's the link to the Hokage's Family from "Song of Aether:"

dazynl8. deviantart art/a-hokage-s-family-411633114

and here's a scene from "Better Off Dead" for all you SasuHina fans:

dazynl8. deviantart art/Zombie-powers-ACTIVATE-411633837

minus the spaces of course:)

Thanks Dazyn18! And thanks to my readers for being so patient with me.

Here's the update! I hope you enjoy:)

Chapter 14: Mistakes

Inside the wagon, it is dark as a cave and it smells faintly of cheese: the smell of unwashed bodies and old socks. As if the stench alone didn't upset Hinata's stomach, as the wagon lurches forward, it creaks like a boat and sways from side to side.

But perhaps it is not the foul odor or the unsteady motion that unsettles her: Sami, Dan, and Kumo ride at the front, handling the horses' reigns, while the prisoners are ensconced inside, behind the mildewed curtains. It is the first time Sasuke and Hinata are alone since Sasuke's capture. The silence is bitter and cold and stretches out between them. Hinata fidgets in her seat and stares into the shadows.

"You're a ninja," Sasuke hisses, the sound of his voice making Hinata flinch. "You could untie me—any time now."

Hinata twiddles her thumbs. "E-even if I c-could," she replies, glancing down at the floor, "I'm w-worried you would hurt the civilians."

"Civilians? Civilians? These people kidnapped you." He arches an eyebrow above his blindfold.

Hinata takes a deep breath. Clenches her fists until her fingers turn white. "They're n-not ninja, Sasuke-san."

He snorts. "The way you're acting, neither are you." He pauses for a long, terrible moment. Hinata feels her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "I always thought you were intelligent, but right now, you're just as dense as Naruto. These people are dangerous."

"They're not—"

They've kidnapped us. It's a threat to any ninja with ocular jutsu," he snaps.

Hinata opens her mouth, then closes it again, at a loss for words. She hadn't thought of it like that before. "But Sasuke-san," she counters after a moment's hesitation, "all they want is their own village—"

"That's what they say," Sasuke interjects. "Do you honestly trust these people more than me?"

"I d-don't t-trust y-you at a-all," Hinata manages, flustered at her own words.

An awkward silence follows. Sasuke hisses and, though he is blindfolded, Hinata can tell he is glowering. She's surprised the wagon doesn't burst into flames from his violent glare and she gulps at the thought.

"Hinata. Untie me. Now. Or we'll both live to regret it."

"I—"

"No one's coming to rescue us," Sasuke snarls, his voice shaking with anger. "I came on my own. Without permission." He pauses. Hinata's brows knit in confusion before the words sink in. Her mouth parts in an 'o' of surprise. Technically, Sasuke is forbidden from leaving Konoha—on pain of death. It's a sentence that didn't stop him from running for Hokage, all those years ago. Really, it was just a technicality—a slap on the wrist. But if Sasuke's words are true, and Naruto is in the process of being removed from office…

"Sasuke-san! You shouldn't have done that!" Hinata cries, covering her mouth with her hands. "You could be executed!"

Sasuke shushes her, answers in a low hiss. "I had to. It's my fault…" He trails off, leaning back against the wall, his teeth clenched. "I… When I…" He takes a deep gulping breath and turns away from her. Just when Hinata thinks that he is going to let the silence linger, he speaks.

"When I first started…seeing Naruto…I didn't think anything of it. It was his problem. Not mine." He pauses again, lips pursed. Hinata holds her breath, afraid that if she interrupts, he will will stop speaking. "But when you found out," he finally says, "and you weren't even angry, or upset—"

This time, Hinata can't hold back. "I was upset, Sasuke-san."

"Well you damn well didn't show it. How am I supposed to feel when you invite me over for dinner—like I was part of your perfect fucking family," he growls, twisting in his restraints.

"I…I d-didn't…" Hinata trails off, at a loss for words. "I d-didn't r-realize…" she whispers.

"Tch. We all want what we can't have," he mutters.

They fall into a thick silence, punctuated only by the cri-cri-creeeeek of the wagon and the steady clop clop clop of the horses' hooves. Hinata sighs deeply and cradles her head in her hands, feeling a headache coming on.

We all want what we can't have. The words echo in her mind. Of course. Hinata realizes it now, much too late: Sasuke had lost his entire family and has not found a way to create his own. Hinata has only rubbed salt in his wounds. She feels like a horrible person.

"I'm so s-sorry," Hinata whispers into the unbearable quiet.

The corners of Sasuke's mouth turn down. "Shut up."

"But I—"

"Can I finish?" he barks.

Hinata blinks. She thought he had been finished. She bites her lip and waits, the silence stretching and stretching like an endless ocean.

Sasuke heaves an inaudible sigh, then clears his throat. "After you found out…nothing changed. Naruto continued, business as usual." He grimaces and laughs, though there is no humor in it. "And I pretended like I didn't care. It wasn't my problem. I just didn't think about it. But then, we were found out. And you turned in your wedding ring…" Sasuke trails off and mumbles something incoherent.

"What was that, Sasuke-san?" Hinata whispers, her hands clenched tightly together in her lap.

Sasuke takes another gulping breath, and he reminds her of a fish struggling to breathe on dry land. His posture is tense and his shoulders are hunched, as if under a great weight. "I realized that Naruto was a bigger idiot than I thought. And I realized it was my fault. As usual," he mutters.

My fault, Hinata thinks. For some reason, those words reverberate in her head. She wonders if he blames himself for all the many mistakes he's made. The words—my fault—become a picture in her mind: she sees Sasuke throwing stones into a pond, over and over again, making the same ripples: my fault, my fault, my fault.

She knows how that feels. She has her own stones: Never good enough. Weak. A terrible ninja. The ripples radiate out and make her feel worthless in her weakest moments—moments she has had too many of lately.

But what if she and Sasuke are both people who have just made some mistakes? Mistakes that can be fixed, or at least, made better. And maybe those mistakes are just experiences to learn from, not transgressions to beat themselves up over.

For the first time, she thinks that maybe those negative things she says to herself were never really true in the first place. A little bit of compassion seeps into her heart, like a few drops of rain soaking into dry earth. She thinks she understands a little of how Sasuke feels, now.

"I don't think it's your fault alone," Hinata says into the sullen silence. "All three of us had a part in this mess." She scoots over and lays a hand on his arm. When he doesn't flinch away, she adds, "I know you… I know you really l-love him."

"Tch." He shakes her off. "Don't be stupid. Just untie me."

Hinata exhales sharply. As if divining her thoughts, Sasuke says, "If you're really hell-bent on delivering your baby out in the wilderness with a bunch of circus freaks…"

"No. No, I'm not," Hinata says quietly, tears stinging her eyes. What a mess she's made out of everything. Here Sasuke is risking his life to save her, while she's given no thought to her husband or her children—or her unborn child. What was she thinking? "I guess I was just running away from my problems," Hinata whispers.

"Problems have a way of catching up with you," Sasuke says, a grimace twisting his lips.

She takes a deep breath. Sighs. "You're r-right," she mumbles, twisting her hands in her lap. It's all so clear now. She's got to go back to Konoha and straighten things out. If Naruto loves her, she'll forgive him, provided he can be faithful. But if not… If not, she'll get a divorce. Get her own house. And share custody of the children. Raise them as best she can.

She gulps and rests a hand on her bulging belly. She had gotten so caught up in her own drama, she hadn't stopped to think about what was best for her kids. She smiles bitterly, and thinks that maybe the best thing for her children is for Hinata herself to grow up.

"Just promise me you won't hurt Sami or her friends," Hinata says at last, dashing the tears out of her eyes with a balled fist.

"Fine. I'll do what I can. But if these people are stupid enough to abduct high-ranking nin—"

"Sasuke-san," Hinata interjects in a warning tone.

"Tch. Fine. I won't hurt them—if I can help it."

She shakes her head and leaves it at that, supposing that's the best she'll get.

Hinata peers into the dark wagon and strains her ears for any sounds out of the ordinary. Then, with deft movements, she removes Sasuke's blindfold with a swish of silken fabric. His dark eyes smolder like hot coals in the half-darkness. She holds his gaze and a silent understanding passes between them. She's certain now that she is doing the right thing. Eyes hardened with determination, Hinata removes Sasuke's shock collar, then breaks the chains binding his hands and feet with a hidden kunai.

"You had a weapon this whole time?" he asks, incredulous.

Hinata grimaces. "S-sorry. Just before, I had nothing to fight for…" She trails off, her words sounding silly to her. But to her surprise, Sasuke offers her a wry grin. He takes the kunai, squints down at his chakra cuffs, and begins to worry his restraints with the tip of the knife. Beads of sweat form on Hinata's brow, and her stomach churns with anxiety. The wagon lurches to the side suddenly, and Sasuke curses as he nicks his wrist.

The horses neigh, and the wagon wheels shriek as they roll to a stop. Hinata and Sasuke share a panicked look.

"We're here!" comes Sami's sing-song voice.

"Grab a weapon," Sasuke whispers.

Hinata gulps, then shakes her head, raising her hands in a defensive position. Sasuke glances at her and nods in approval, understanding by her gesture that chakra or no, Hyuga need no more than their hands to fight.

Looks like Hinata finally has her head screwed on straight, haha! Hope you liked the chapter. Please review:)